Teens make mistakes. (So do adults, of course.) But mistakes can turn into learning opportunities.

The next time you or your teen makes a mistake, try to use it as a chance to improve. Use these four R’s as a way to recover:

• Recognize. Before your teen can learn from a mistake, she has to recognize what she did. She needs to identify exactly what caused the problem. Saying, “I’m no good in Spanish” won’t fix the problem. Saying, “I didn’t study” can help your teen see a solution.
• Responsibility. Your teen needs to accept responsibility for what she did wrong. Saying, “My teacher is mean” won’t solve the problem.
• Reconciliation. Sometimes a mistake hurts other people. Your teen needs to tell anyone she has hurt that she is sorry.
• Resolution. Finally, your teen needs to come up with a solution that is satisfactory to everyone involved.

The next time your teen makes a mistake, help her work through these four R’s. They can help her turn a mistake into an opportunity for growth.

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